Why would Ms. Lam put forward a bill that failed to adhere to international best practice on human rights? And why would she stick to her guns when key authorities – including both the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Hong Kong Law Society – pointed out key flaws in the government’s proposals? Impossible to know for sure, but it seems likely that her reading of what Beijing wanted from the final bill may have influenced her thinking. After all, her political future is in Beijing’s hands: the pro-Beijing Election Committee will decide on her second term, not the people of Hong Kong.